Normal falafels are deep fried.. but this being another 15 Minute Meal - "Delicious, Nutritious, Super Fast Food"... these were not. It was still a fantastic vegetarian meal. The base is mixed beans and chickpeas. The salsa definitely adds to the wraps. You get two wraps, 2 falafels each for 602 calories. :)

Thursday, May 30, 2013

I got my ears pierced a looooong time ago. I let them close for whatever reason but lately I've been wanting the option to wear earrings. So, on a whim while walking through the mall, we stopped by Icing By Claire's and got them repierced. Ahhhhhhh pain!

Our flight is delayed at least 30 minutes. This is probably because it's coming out of Chicago O'Hare. We had a super fast lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. But I didn't think to check our flight status. :(

I don't "do" prawns. They have eyes and legs.. and yuck. We did large shrimp instead. The sweet potatoes are cooked and then mixed with some cheddar cheese. The holy trinity is sauteed with some spices and herbs. It was spicy but so good. 594 calories gets you a lot of food... potatoes, veggies and shrimp. Sprinkled with some lemon juice. Extremely good. Highly recommended.

The pasta was good... but without the salad the meal would be lacking. The salad is dressed only in lemon and olive oil but it was still fantastic. Light. Tart. Moldy (Ian's word. He has issues with Blue Cheese). The pasta felt like it could use something else.. spice.. herb... something. It was still delicious and at 586 calories per serving of pasta and salad.. can't go wrong. [Apologies for the picture... it was super bright in the backyard]

Meh. Yet another lesson in letting the food cook through. I didn't put enough oil in the pan and they didn't brown up as much as they should. The flavor was interesting but I was looking for some heat. This dish will be probably redone at some point. I wasn't a huge fan of the fennel salad or the couscous. Disappointing but the briks were still pretty tasty. For 1 brik and some of the fennel and couscous, it was 457 calories.

I was a little familiar with Chorizo but I was really surprised with how well it work with the squid. It calls for a little side dish of yogurt and harissa. Neither of us felt that this was really necessary because it doesn't end up being very hot. But for 634 calories.... yum!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Full title: Chicken Dim Sum with Coconut Buns, Cucumber Pickle and Hoisin Sauce. This was another 15 Minute Meal but honestly... it is sooo not possible in 15 minutes. You make buns from scratch... yes, it's two ingredients but handling dough takes time! Either way.. I would do this recipe again in a heart beat.

The first part is to make the coconut buns. Jamie Oliver mixes his in a food processor... I did it this way but I think next time I will just use my Stand Mixer. They needed more flour... but they still turned out really good. You steam them in a bamboo steamer along with the chicken and vegetables.

They were light, fluffy and a little bit coconut-y. The chicken turned out perfect but the cucumber pickle stole the show. Using a speed peeler, you peel the cucumber into ribbons, cover it in soy sauce and vinegar and then squeeze the water out of them. This pickles the cucumber so they are extra crunchy. For 795 calories, you get 2 of the buns to make little sandwiches with the chicken, vegetables and pickle. Dip it in the hoisin sauce, sesame seeds and you have a really delicious dinner. I'm a fan. :)